Consumers' outlook drops sharply

9:25 PM,
Dec. 9, 2013

Written by

A precipitous drop in consumer confidence at the beginning of the Christmas shopping season could spell trouble for Middle Tennessee retailers, according to a report from the Office of Consumer Research at Middle Tennessee State University.

The Middle Tennessee Consumer Outlook Index found consumer confidence fell sharply in December to 122 from a two-year high of 199 in September. The December number is the lowest seen in more than a year.

"This suggests that local consumers view the current U.S. economy a bit more negatively than they did in September, and local consumers are adopting a ...